Love is to Share, Mine is for You
by myRyRy
Summary: Big, messy tears fall down her cheeks and her nose drips onto her lip as she completely breaks down; absolutely, positively loses it in the middle of a stark white hospital hallway. Chuck & Blair after the accident all the way until the wedding.
1. Chapter 1

_Summary: Big, messy tears fall down her cheeks and her nose drips sickly onto her lip as she completely breaks down; absolutely, positively loses it in the middle of a stark white hospital hallway. Chuck & Blair after the accident all the way until the wedding. _

_AN: So I had to write something to follow up from the last episode, I just didn't have a choice. This part is more of an intro / starting off point than a chapter, but I have three or four more parts to this story already written so please let me know if you are interested and I'll post more soon…. I just want to warn you in advance, some of the stuff in the upcoming parts are based off of spoilers and speculation that is floating around so be weary if you are spoiler free. Hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!_

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><p>1<p>

Big, messy tears fall down her cheeks and her nose drips sickly onto her lip as she completely breaks down.

Absolutely, positively loses it in the middle of a stark white hospital hallway.

This can't be happening.

_It can't._

Blair gasps between her sobs, choking as she tries to get a breath.

"B..."

She can feel her best friend's hand on her back, but honestly, her presence doesn't matter to her right now. Serena at her side doesn't help anything. It doesn't make her feel any better. Nothing can.

Except him.

"B, come on. Let's get you back to bed."

Blair yanks her arm out of her friend's gentle grasp and continues to stare straight ahead, right into the room in front of her and directly at Chuck, laying lifeless and bloodied on a gurney.

"It should've been me..." she mumbles through her cries. "It was supposed to be me..."

Serena's hand rubs up and down her back. "What was that, B?"

"He has to be okay," Blair continues, deaf to her best friend's words. "He's all I have left... He can't..."

Her entire body shakes with the force of her emotions. She can't even say the word but it's all she can think in her head.

_Die._

Chuck could die.

She can't even begin to fathom the thought.

They were finally going to be together. They were supposed to finally get their forever.

He can't leave her now.

All of the sudden the room in front of her erupts into commotion.

Alarms sound, doctors shout nonsense and nurses rush around the room.

The only one who doesn't seem to notice all the fuss is Chuck. He doesn't even flinch.

She completely panics and stomps forward on her bare feet into the room. "What is going on?"

No one answers her or even acknowledges her and it infuriates her to her very core.

Blair reaches out and grabs one of the doctors by the arm, demanding his attention. "Tell me what is going on! What is happening to him?"

The doctor easily shakes off her hold.

She hadn't realized how weak she is.

"You need to get out of here, miss. Let us do our job."

She vehemently shakes her head. "No, you have to..." she trails off, her eyes widening in horror as a nurse rips open Chuck's checkered button down shirt.

A hand wraps softly around her elbow. "B..."

"What are you doing to him?" she screams, her heart beating out of control. "Chuck!"

"Get her out of here!"

"Chuck!"

"Blair, please just-"

Through her hysteria she sees a doctor rubbing together two small paddles and she knows what that means.

But it can't be real.

"Chuck!" she screeches, suddenly feeling ill as the world starts spinning around her. "Chuck..."

Arms wrap around her waist, pulling her back.

"Get off me!" she screams, kicking and fighting with all she has in her. "Chuck!"

More arms and hands touch and grab at her and drag her from the room.

"Chuck!" She's sobbing and choking as he disappears from her view. "No!"

Something sharp pricks into her arm.

"Chuck!" Blair continues to beg and call out for him. "Chuck..."

Her lids feel heavy and her body starts to slump.

"Chuck, please..."

"It'll be okay, B," she hears Serena tearfully assure her as gentle fingers brush back her hair.

Her eyes fall shut.

"Chuck..."

And the world disappears around her.

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><p><em>TBC…?<em>

_Please let me know what you think and if you would like more! I always appreciate feeback! :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Summary: Big, messy tears fall down her cheeks and her nose drips sickly onto her lip as she completely breaks down; absolutely, positively loses it in the middle of a stark white hospital hallway. Chuck & Blair after the accident all the way until the wedding. _

_AN: Thank you for the response to the first part! I want to warn people again that this is based on spoilers and speculation floating around, mixed with my own ideas. Let me know what you think of this and if you think I should keep going with it... :)_

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><p>2<p>

Blair's tired eyes blink open to bright florescent lights and clinical white walls.

She quickly realizes she's been snugly tucked back into her uncomfortable bed. Her head feels much too heavy and her body aches but all she can think of is Chuck.

He was so hurt.

He was_ dying._

She looks to her side and notices Serena sound asleep in the chair next to her and doesn't want to waste the opportunity she sees. Pulling back the sheets, she pushes herself up to sit but has to pause from dizziness.

"Blair."

She jumps at the voice, swinging her head too quickly to the other side of the bed.

The room spins and she slams her eyes shut to try and stop it.

"Okay, you need to lie back down."

Blair opens her eyes back up and glares at him. "Mind your own business, Humphrey."

Dan smiles sadly at her and reaches out to help her lay back.

She slaps his hands away. "I'm serious," she snaps even with her weary voice. "I need to see Chuck."

"He's fine, Blair."

She gives him a look, convinced he is just placating her in her 'fragile' state.

"I promise," he firmly assures her. "It's been touch and go, but right now he's stable."

She allows herself a small breath of relief before shaking her head. Stable isn't good enough. "I need to see him."

"What you need to do is rest," he argues, turning soft. "You were hurt too, Blair. Badly."

She flinches and her fingers itch at her side to slide over and touch her stomach, something she's done over and over again the past few months. But she can't do it now. She's afraid she'll be able to feel the emptiness.

"Chuck would want you to take care of yourself," Dan adds quietly.

Blair scowls, her eyes glazing over with emotion. "Well too bad he's not here to voice his opinion."

Scooting over in the bed, she pulls the covers off her pale legs and carefully moves to let them hang over the side of the bed.

That movement alone makes her feel exhausted.

"Blair, I really think-"

"I don't care what you think, Humphrey," she snarls while trying to catch her breath. "You have two options right now. You can either sit here and whine and watch a poor, sick girl try to walk out of here all by herself."

He snorts at her sarcasm, relieved that she still seems like Blair.

"Or you can actually do something useful help me out of this bed and take me to Chuck."

Dan contemplates for a moment before sighing and giving in. He reaches out his hand which she quickly takes. Slowly he helps her move off the bed and come to a shaky stand on the tile floor.

"You okay?"

Blair nods softly and leans her weight against his side. She must have been running on pure adrenalin before, because now, she suddenly feels so much more hurt. Grasping on to Dan's arm, the two of them slowly shuffle their way out of the room and down the hall.

The journey is silent, with a few short breaks mixed in, but soon they are standing outside of a tall, wooden door.

Blair takes a breath to steady herself before nodding at Dan that she's ready.

Her gaze falls on Chuck the second the door swings open.

He's been changed into a hospital gown that matching her own and there is a thick, white bandage wrapped tightly around his head.

He's _so_ pale.

Tears fill her eyes.

She allows Dan to slowly lead her into the room when she catches sight of the oxygen tube in his nose.

A shaky breath escapes her and she has to hold back a sob.

"Has he..." she begins hesitantly as Dan helps her into a chair right up next to Chuck. "Has he woken up at all yet?"

Dan somberly shakes his head. "He's been unconscious since the accident."

Blair's bottom lip quivers as she stares at Chuck's pale, unmoving face.

"I'll leave you alone for awhile," Dan tells her softly, feeling like an intruder in the small hospital room, "but I'll come back to help you to back to your room."

She nods, disinterested, not looking away from Chuck for a second as if she's afraid he might disappear if she does.

The door clicks shut and suddenly they're alone.

"Chuck," she whispers into the still room, naively hoping he will respond to her voice. "Chuck, please..."

Nothing. Just the gentle rise fall of his chest.

She looks down at the bed as twin tears slip down her cheeks.

Reaching out, she takes his hand in hers.

A tiny sob escapes her when she squeezes his hand and he doesn't squeeze back.

Blair takes a moment to lovingly kiss his knuckles before hugging his hand protectively to her chest.

"Please..." she tearfully begs his unconscious form. "Don't leave me."

Silence.

She takes a deep breath and shakes her head.

This is all her fault.

If she hadn't been engaged to a prince, the paparazzi wouldn't have been chasing them. If she had just made a decision faster, she woudn't have still been engaged to a prince and she would have made a decision faster if she hadn't been pregnant. And if she hadn't been pregnant, Chuck wouldn't have used his body to shield her in the accident.

"You shouldn't have done that," she scolds him quietly. "You shouldn't have tried to save me and the..."

She nearly chokes on her tears. She can't say it. She can't say _Baby_.

It's all her fault.

She should to be the one who may not live or die.

She's the one who was committing adultery. She's the one who was going to leave the father of her child.

God is punishing her.

"You're too good for me. I don't deserve you..."

Blair sniffles, tears cascading down her cheeks.

"But you can't leave me. Please, please don't leave me," she begs through sobs. "I can't go on without you, Chuck. I can't survive if you're not here."

She pulls his hand to her lips and kisses his palm.

"Please, Chuck..."

She rests her forehead against his hand gripped tightly in both of hers.

"Please, please," she cries, her eyes clenched shut as she wishes with all her heart. "Please, don't _die_. Please..."

The sudden click of the door breaks into her emotional trance and she snaps her head up to look to see two nurses standing in the door.

"S-Sorry to interrupt," one of the nurses stutters awkwardly.

Blair doesn't even attempt to wipe away her tears because she doesn't want to let go of Chuck's hand.

"We need to take him to have a CAT scan," the other nurse explains.

She nods reluctantly at the two women before standing, swaying a bit on her feet.

The women eye her cautiously as they catch sight of her hospital gown. "Would you like us to call someone to escort you back to your room?"

Blair shakes her head. "I can manage."

Turning back to Chuck, she kisses the back of his hand one more time before setting it carefully back at his side. She leans forward and places her lips reverently on his bandaged forehead.

"I love you," she breaths against his skin before pulling away only because she has to.

She watches with her heart in her throat as the nurses futz with the wires and equipment on Chuck's body before they wheel his bed out of the room, leaving her standing alone in the nearly empty room.

Helplessly she wipes at her tears, trying to pull herself together at least a bit, before she realizes her efforts are useless.

Warily she starts to make her way back to her own room. Her feet shuffle slowly across the floor and once she enters the hallway she uses the wall to hold herself up as she walks. It's a short distance but along the way her eyes catch sight of an open room she didn't notice before.

She curiously pauses in the doorway and fresh tears fill her eyes.

It feels like fate to stumble upon this room at a time like this. It feels like this is where she needs to be.

She steps forward, her heart beating nervously in her chest as she enters the hospital's small church. She gradually makes her way to the front of the room near the large cross on the wall.

Blair kneels in the first pew and and clasps her hands tightly together in front of her.

Tears slip down her cheeks as she stares up at the cross.

Her mind goes a million miles with every thought and regret she has for her conduct over the last few months and especially the last few days.

"Dear God," she begins quietly, her shaky voice breaking into the comforting silence.

She takes a deep breath, trying to gain the strength to say what she knows in her heart she has to say.

"I am so sorry..." she says shakily, "for everything I have done wrong. I am sorry that I have sinned. I cheated on my fiance. I committed adultery. I tried to run away from my child's father with another man."

She squeezes her hands together and hopes that someone is listening to her.

"But please don't punish Chuck for my sins," she begs tearfully. "Please. Let him live."

She sniffles and sobs.

"I'll do anything. I promise. I'll start going to church. I'll volunteer at more charities," Blair pleads, offering anything she can to get God to spare her soulmate. "I'll fix my mistakes. I'll... I'll marry my fiance. I'll fix it. I'll stay away from Chuck. Just, please, don't let him die."

Her body trembles with tears.

"You've already taken _everything else_ from me," she cries. "Don't take him too."

Dissolving into a puddle of emotions, she buries her face into her hands and cries uncontrollably over the mess her life has become.

Someone touches her shoulder and she nearly jumps out of her skin, looking up wild eyed at whoever is interrupting her moment with God.

That's when her eyes land on him.

Louis.

His sudden presence feels like fate; a sign.

Immediately she bursts into tears all over again.

"I'm so sorry, Blair," he quickly apologizes. "I didn't mean to scare you by sneaking up on you."

She shakes her head at him, telling him without words that that's not why she's crying, but she can't find it in her to speak.

He sighs and hesitantly kneels next to her. "And I'm sorry I didn't come see you right away," he hesitantly continues to explain. "But I heard you were with Chuck in the accident..."

"It was a mistake," she interrupts desperately. "I wish I could take it back."

Louis nods shortly. He scrutinizes her for a long moment before gently reaching out and touching her cheek. "Are you okay?"

She shrugs.

"Is the baby okay?"

Her only answer is a sob.

His face falls in absolute heartbreak and he reaches out for her without another thought.

Blair jumps into his open arms even as a sick feeling begins in her stomach. "I'm sorry," she cries into his neck, holding onto him tight. "Im so, so, so sorry..."

"It's okay," he breathes into her hair, his own tears of pain failing from his eyes. "It will all be okay."

"It's my fault," she mutters against his shoulder.

Louis rubs her back and shushes her gently and both of them choose to ignore the fact that he doesn't refute her claim.

"It was a mistake," she cries again, pulling back to meet his gaze.

Another wave of guilt hits her at the sight of his tears.

"It's the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life," Blair hysterically tries to explain. "I just want to fix it. Please! I'm so sorry, Louis..."

Louis bites his lip before nodding almost imperceptibly. "We were fighting and we hadn't seen each other in so long," he theorizes, trying to convince them both of the situation. "I had been back in New York a week and I didn't even try to come see you even when I knew the paparazzi were harassing you."

Blair nods in quick agreement. "I was overwhelmed and confused and..." she trails off in tears. "I messed up."

"We'll try to fix it," he concludes, his voice anything but strong.

She ignores his tone and smiles in relief, pushing forward into his tight hold once again.

"I love you, Blair," Louis whispers against her ear.

Her stomach twists but she smiles in spite of it. Her eyes drift back up to the cross hanging on the wall while she clings to her fiance.

Blair bites her lip and snuggles into his arms. "You too."

She is going to fix her mistakes and keep up her end of the deal, she just hopes God keeps up with his.

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><p><em>TBC…?<em>

_Feedback is always appreciated... :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Summary: Big, messy tears fall down her cheeks and her nose drips sickly onto her lip as she completely breaks down; absolutely, positively loses it in the middle of a stark white hospital hallway. Chuck & Blair after the accident all the way until the wedding. _

__AN: I want to say thanks to those of you who reviewed! :) I have three more parts of this story already written and I will be posting them over the coming week or so, but since it doesn't seem like that many people are interested in this compared to other stories I have going, I am going to wait to write ahead any further than I already am. After everything is up that I've written for this, I'll decide what to do from there. If you have any thoughts on this story at all- let me know if you'd like... :) _Again, parts of this story are based on spoilers and speculation floating around... You've been warned..._

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><p>3<p>

It's four days before Chuck opens his eyes to the world once again, but he doesn't realize that.

When he opens his eyes it's like he's waking up from a nap; a long, deep sleep of course, but still it only feels as if he's just been quietly resting for just a bit too long on the couch in his penthouse.

He blinks and looks around, quickly realizing that he is definitely not at The Empire.

"Charles?"

His hazy gaze drifts over to Lily sitting in a plastic chair in whatever place he's been sleeping in.

He would never tell her this, but she really needs to book a spa day. He's sure he's never seen her look quite so unrested.

"Oh my god, Charles!"

He frowns at her watery smile, wondering what the hell has gotten into her when suddenly it hits him.

The towncar.

The paparazzi.

The accident.

_Blair._

His eyes widen as he realizes he's in the hospital, but it's not himself he's concerned about.

"Let me just go get the doctor, okay?" Lily explains softly, squeezing his hand which he didn't even realize she was holding. She moves to let go of him but he's suddenly squeezing back, keeping her rooted where she is.

"Blair," he manages to rasp, his throat thick and heavy.

Lily smiles a bit sadly. "She's fine."

Chuck nods, unsure of her answer, but he doesn't let go of her hand.

"The baby?"

His step-mother's face drops and he knows the answer before she even says anything.

"It didn't make it."

Chuck swallows, his heart beating hard in his chest at the loss. He wasn't lying when he told Blair he would love her baby as much as he loved her, because he would have. Maybe deep down he already did. That baby was a part of her and he can't imagine what she is going through without it.

He wants to ask more questions, but in his moment of sadness and shock, Lily had managed to untangle their hands and head off in search of help.

Soon he's being poked and proded with different instruments and bombarded with questions and information from what seems like damn near every doctor in the hospital. Bu his head feels so heavy, like it's filled with cotton, and it's hard to keep up, especially when his mind keeps going back to Blair.

Lily senses her step-son is getting overwhelmed so she shoos the doctors away once it's clear that he is going to be okay.

The second the two of them are alone again, Chuck goes right back to their converstation from when he woke up as if they had never been interrupted.

"Where is she?" he demands but it comes out as barely more than a whisper.

"She was discharged a couple days ago and has been resting at home," Lily explains, coming sit at his bedside once again. She reaches out and brushes her hand against his forehead and soothingly pushes back his hair.

Chuck relaxes both at the motherly touch and at the news that Blair is safe and sound in her penthouse. He lets out a helpless yawn.

"Get some rest," his step-mother gently commands. "I'm sure Blair will be here to see you when you wake up."

He nods almost imperceptibly before letting his eyes droop shut and succumbing to his body's need for sleep.

–––

Blair sits on top of the comforter on her bed, looking perfectly poised in her vintage, silk striped pajamas set; the perfect attire for a comfortable and well planned recovery.

There are binders and organizers opened and spread out in a circle all around her while she clings to her trusty notebook with a pencil tucked behind her ear.

Three weeks.

She'd missed three weeks of unbelievably important wedding planning time with all the drama between her and Louis as well as her and Chuck.

There's so much work to be done it almost feels unsurmountable.

At the same time though, it's all a welcome distraction from having to think about the men down the hall painting stark white paint over the perfect shade of butterscotch yellow she had chosen for what would have been the nursery.

Suddenly an alarm goes off at her bedside.

"Dorota," she screeches at the top of her lungs so the woman can assuredly hear her from anywhere in the penthouse. "It's time for my medication!"

She pulls the pencil out from behind her ear and starts mindlessly jotting down notes about table settings and seating charts.

The door swings open across the room but she doesn't dare look up.

She can't.

It's rule number four.

Never look directly at Dorota, most especially anywhere in the vicinity of her stomach.

So instead she childishly holds out her left hand, pretending for both herself and her faithful maid's sake that the notes she is so furiously writing down with her right hand are much, much too important to pause for even a quick glance up.

She keeps her hand in the air for a few long seconds but feels no little vicodin pill fall into it. Biting her lip, she shakes her hand around a bit, trying to get her maid to do as she so desperately needs her to and just place the damn pill on her palm and go on her merry way.

Because she can't look up at Dorota.

She just can't.

It's a rule.

And she made the rules for a reason.

_Blair Waldorf is not going to break._

"Um, Blair?"

Suddenly she drops her pencil and her eyes snap up to see a very confused Dan Humphrey standing in her doorway, looking at her strangly.

"Jesus, Humphrey," she breathes in annoyance, trying to collect herself. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that you should knock and properly announce your presence when visiting recent patients of a hospital?"

He shakes his head and continues to eye her. "No, never heard that one."

"Well remember it," she snaps.

She picks back up her pencil with shaky hands and returns to writing her notes once again.

The bed shifts a little and she looks up at him, surprised that he's taken a seat on her bed. Her eyes widen in horror. She quickly reaches out and snatches a binder out from where Dan is sitting. Inspecting the pages, she's beyond alarmed to see the wrinkled edges and a few of the corners folded.

Part of her wants to dissolve in to tears and part of her wants to reach out and smack him.

Everything was _perfect_ before he showed up.

"Is there something you wanted?" she questions him icily.

"Your phone is off."

Blair rolls her eyes. "You'd think that you would take the hint."

The corner of Dan's lips cock into a smirk at her biting comment. "Lily and Serena have been trying to call you all morning."

Immediately her hand stops writing, her eyes widen, and her whole body goes numb. Dumbly she shakes her head from side to side. "No.. He didn't..."

"He's awake."

Her hand jumps to her racing heart because she swears it skipped a beat. She lets out a choked breath, overwhelmed with joy at the news.

_He's awake._

Tears fill her eyes.

God must have forgiven her.

She fixed it.

"So I don't know if you want to get changed first or not," Dan starts, motioning briefly at her pajamas, "but I already told the doorman to have your driver pull around front..."

"Wait," Blair breathes, blinking at him in confusion through watery eyes. "What?"

Dan looks at her strangely again. "Are you feeling okay? I know they said you only had a minor concussion but maybe they should have double checked."

"I'm fine," she assures him, still too relieved at the news of Chuck's return to consciousness to even slap away Dan's hand when he checks her for a fever. "I just don't understand why you'd tell my driver to move up front."

"So I can take you to visit Chuck," he states like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Blair closes her mouth into a thin line and abruptly looks blankly back down at her notebook. "Oh, well I can't right now," she tells him evenly. "I have too much stuff to get done today. Maybe some other time."

He stares at her, completely baffled. "What are you talking about?" he demands in shock at her behavior. "Did you hear what I said? Chuck is _awake_, Blair. He's awake and Lily said he was asking about you."

She bites her lip, using all her self control not to give in to her emotions at his words.

"He almost _died_," Dan reminds her in a harsh tone, "in an accident that happened while the two of you were _running away together_. What the hell happened between then and now?"

Blair remains silent, pretending to flip through pages her eyes barely even see.

He studies her bent head as she sits nearly curled in herself, her sadness almost palpable. "Blair," he begins softly, cautiously, "if this is about the baby..."

Her head snaps up at that, her eyes filling with fire. "It's not about _that!_"

Dan holds his hand up in mock surrender. "Okay, okay..." he gives in, quickly becoming gentle. "Whatever you say."

She takes a deep, calming breath and tries to ease her racing heart. "I'm just really busy today, Dan," she tries to explain once again. "Honestly."

A breath of frustration escapes his lips because he can't take her fake demeanor any longer. He reaches out and swiftly grabs hold of her notebook and yanks it from her hands. "Oh, yes I'm sure," his eyes scan the page in front of him, "the _centerpieces_ are a real life and death situation."

Blair scowls and yanks it back, hugging the notebook protectively to her chest. "This is none of your business!"

He watches her with wide eyes, completely thrown off by her, but when he looks closely at her he swears she's trembling. He sighs to himself, regretting getting so sharp with her when she is clearly in a fragile state.

All he is trying to do is look out for Blair because he knows Chuck is the one who will make her happy for the rest of her life. Another part of him though, he realizes, is looking out for Chuck too, because for the past few months, the boozing, womanizer had been one of the closest friends he's had. He knows both of them well enough to know they need each other; they complete each other.

He just wants the very best for them both.

"Look," he starts quietly, putting aside his frustrations. "I'm not going to pretend to understand what you're going through. I'm not going to act like I know why you let Louis bring you home from the hospital or why you haven't gone back to visit Chuck since or why you're surrounded by wedding plans. And I'm not going to judge you for whatever decision you make going forward."

Tentatively, he reaches out and rests his hand on the back.

She doesn't pull away.

"But you need to go see Chuck."

Blair shakes her head. "I can't," she simply responds.

Dan sighs. "Well I'm not leaving until you are leaving with me."

He leans back, moving to lay down on her bed across all of her wedding planning material and she panics, reacting before he can mess everything up.

"Fine," she barks, suddenly scowling at him. "You want me to go with you, let's go. There's somewhere I need to go anyway."

"Yeah, to the hospital to see Chuck."

Blair shakes her head and smirks. "You forget, Humphrey. We are getting in my car. I control the destination."

A half an hour later, the car slowly rolls to a stop right in front of a grandiose cathedral with huge stained glass windows.

Dan looks at her curiously. "Why are we-"

He doesn't even get the chance to finish his question before Blair slips wordlessly out of the vehicle, slamming the door in his face on the way out.

For a long moment he simply watches her walk away, her petite frame clad in her ridiculous pajamas that are barely hidden by a beige trench coat as she climbs up the concrete stairway.

As soon as she disappears inside, his curiosity gets the best of him. He gets out of the car and quickly makes his way up the stairs. He doesn't hesitate to push open the elaborable double doors and slip inside.

The church is basically empty being that it's the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, so he easily spots her kneeling in a pew near the front.

Now he'd never taken Blair to be all that religious, but it's obvious even from where he stands in the shadows in the back of the church that she is praying to God with every bit of her soul. He can just barely hear her soft voice as it carries through the the hollow building but he can't quite make out what she's saying. It's not long before he can see her shoulders begin to shake with silent sobs.

Something about what he is witnessing is completely gut-wrenching and suddenly he feels like an intruder on such an intimate moment so he decides to sneak out of the building before she notices him.

Ten minutes later, Blair slips back into the car hoping she had been able to wipe away the evidence of her break down.

Dan looks at her with soft eyes. "You ready to see Chuck?"

She bites her lip.

She really wants to. She wants nothing more than to go to that hospital and see for herself that he is going to be okay.

But she can't.

It's part of the deal and it's also rule number one.

_Stay away from Chuck._

She shakes her head sadly.

"Please just take home."

And for some reason she doesn't have the energy to question, Dan complies with her request.

–––

Chuck wakes up from a long nap to realize he is surrounded by his family.

On one side of him sits Lily, right where she'd been when he fell asleep, still holding his hand. On the other side sit Serena and Erik with matching smiles of relief on their faces.

They completely fuss and gush over him and it leaves a warm feeling in his stomach.

But there's always a nagging in the back of his mind. He's always thinking about her.

A knock at the door makes his heart leap into his throat but when it swings open it's not her.

He frowns.

Not that he doesn't want to see Nate, he just wants to see her more.

They talk briefly about the accident and he can tell from the look on his best friend's face that it was a haunting experience. But Chuck is thankful that he was there to make sure Blair and himself got the help they needed, and he tells him that.

Nate pushes forward and hugs him tightly at that.

A bit later there's another knock at the door and it happens all over again, the heart in the throat thing.

He watches the door swing open to reveal Dan Humphrey standing there and he wants to cry out in annoyance.

Where is Blair?

She had to have heard that he is awake by now.

Why hasn't she come to see him yet?

Chuck can't help but scowl as Dan walks into the room.

Dimly he is aware of the sad look Serena and the Brooklynite share, but he's too exhausted and emotional wrought to think about it.

Everyone converses around him and gushes over him, and he put in his two cents when it's appropriate, but he can't really focus on what anyone is saying.

His eyes keep drifting back to the door. He keeps waiting to hear another knock.

Time slowly passes and after awhile his visitors begin to excuse themselves, one by one, promising to come back and see him again the next day.

Soon it's just himself and Lily once again, the sky outside the small hospital window dark and starry.

His eyes glaze over with tears he refuses to let fall.

"She didn't come," he whispers into the room in complete disbelief.

Lily simply smiles sadly at him and places a motherly kiss on his forehead.

And for the first time since he woke up, he feels like everyone is keeping something from him.

Lily settles into a chair to fall asleep for the night as he begins to rack his mind to figure out what it is.

He thinks of the accident, of Blair, of the baby...

Then suddenly it all makes sense.

_The baby._

Blair must be completely falling apart.

That must be it.

She must be a complete and total mess and no one wants to impede his recovery by making him worry.

Well too late.

Chuck Bass is officially completely and totally worried about Blair Waldorf.

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><p><em>TBC...<em>

_Feedback is always appreciated... :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Summary: Big, messy tears fall down her cheeks and her nose drips sickly onto her lip as she completely breaks down; absolutely, positively loses it in the middle of a stark white hospital hallway. Chuck & Blair after the accident all the way until the wedding. _

__AN: Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter! I really appreciate the feedback so so much! Once a_gain, parts of this story are based on spoilers and speculation so the basis of this story is kind of not my idea but I do think it's plausible. I think it's been established on the show that Blair 'treats her life like a movie' and believes in fairy tales and that everything happens for a reason, so I don't think it's OOC for Blair to think she could actually fix things with her deal and that the whole accident happened because of some kind of karma when she's clearly so emotionally distraught. __Anyways lol... this one is shorter, but let me know what you think of it if you get a chance..._

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><p>4<p>

"I wish you wouldn't do this, Charles."

He ignores his step-mother's plea and pushes himself up to sit, forcing himself not to wince at the simple movement.

"It's already done."

He reaches out to grab his clothing from where it is folded on his bedside table but nearly crumbles at stabbing pain in his ribs.

Lily quickly jumps forward to help him straighten and remove the pressure on his side. "See," she starts tearfully, imploring him to listen to her. "You're not ready to leave yet. You no more time to-"

"I don't need to spend anymore time here," he grits out harshly between his clenched teeth, his eyes glazing over in pan. He takes a few deep breaths to calm himself before gently pushing his step-mother's caring hands away. "I assure you, Lily. I will be fine. It's just that..." he sighs and shakes his head. "I can't stand to spend another second in this hospital. I'll go crazy."

Chuck avoids her eyes, feeling like he's told too much, but he honestly doesn't think he can take spending another day laying in his hospital bed. He's spent every waking second wishing for Blair to walk through that door and every time it opens and it's not her on the other side of it, his heart drops all over again with disappointment and concern. He is so wracked with worry for her that he can barely even function, let alone try to rest and recover.

So the first thing he'd done this morning, after a night of tossing and turning over his seemingly never-ending, racing thoughts, was to demand his doctor write up the papers for his immediate discharge.

Lily gives him a knowing look and gently touches his shoulder. "I told you Charles, she's fine. I promise."

"Then where is she?" he bellows in complete frustration. He watches with a sick feeling as his step-mother suddenly avoids his gaze and he knows all over again there is something going on that no one is telling him. "I need to see her. I need to make sure she is okay."

She sighs and looks at him with sad eyes. "Charles, I need to tell you-"

Abruptly the door swings open, with out even a knock, completely breaking Lily from her confession.

Nate and Serena breeze in laughing and joking with one another before coming to a sudden halt a few steps into the room, the smiles slipping off of their faces at the tension in the air.

"What's going on?" Serena asks, looking curiously between her family members.

"Charles has decided to leave the hospital against medical advice," Lily explains, her voice raw with clear disapproval of the situation.

Serena's mouth drops open in shock. "What? But it hasn't even been 48 hours since he became conscious again," she admonishes to her mother in disbelief before turning her attention to Chuck. "You're not well yet, Chuck! You can't just-"

"Actually I can," Chuck is quick interrupt. "It's all taken care of actually. I just need to get dressed..."

Lily rolls her teary eyes. "Well if you're not going to listen to reason then I am going to at least make sure you have some at home care arranged," she breathes in frustration. She leans forward and kisses his hair quickly, before turning away. "I'm going to go make some calls."

Chuck watches her stalk out of the room, a part of him feeling guilty for upsetting her but he knows this is what he has to do.

Serena sends him a look before quickly following after her mother out into the hallway to comfort her.

Once it's just him and Nate left in the room, Chuck lets out a heavy sigh. He attempts to reach for his clothes once again but his broken ribs stab with pain just like they did before.

This time it's his best friend who steps forward to help him. Nate stabilizes him on the bed and hands him the small pile of clothing.

"Are you sure you're ready to leave?" the blonde boy asks evenly, not an ounce of judgement in his voice.

Chuck nods and continues to wince. "I have to get out of here."

Nate simply nods in response, knowing that there is nothing that can stop his best friend from doing exactly what he wants to.

He steps back once the brunette seems to have things under control, but that only lasts a minute.

Chuck unfolds his shirt in his lap and attempts to reach back to undo his hospital gown but he once again winces in pain.

"Here." Nate reaches out and doesn't ask before he simply begins to help his best friend get dressed.

Neither of them look each other in the eye and Chuck is blushing furiously, but he is beyond grateful for the silent support. Both of them know he could have never asked for help doing such a simple task no matter how much pain he's in.

Slowly, Nate helps him ease off the bed until he is shakily standing, holding onto his shoulders for support. He carefully helps Chuck slide on his pants before removing the long hospital gown. Nate's eyes skim briefly across his best friend's deeply bruised and scarred chest and he has to bite his lip to stop himself from reacting. He simply continues to silently help by gently slipping a thick sweater over Chuck's head and then slowly easing his arms into the sleeves, careful of his friend's injuries.

Once Chuck is fully dressed, he digs his hands into his pockets while Nate steps back and rubs his hands anxiously on his jeans.

The two boys awkwardly meet each other's eyes, silently saying with just a look all the things boys can never say out loud to one another.

Nate clears his throat, breaking into the silence and the heaviness of the moment, trying to get rid of the uncomfortableness. "So do you want me to ride with you over to The Empire or..."

Chuck looks away and shakes his head. "Actually there is somewhere I need to stop first."

The blonde boy eyes him strangely for a long moment before it suddenly hits him. "No, Chuck. You can't..."

"I wasn't asking for your permission, Nathaniel."

Nate sighs to himself.

They had all discussed this. They had all come to the conclusion that this needed to be kept a secret because it would destroy him. It would ruin his recovery from the accident and probably even cause the old Chuck to come roaring back to life. But Chuck is his best friend and he just can't lie to him about something like this any longer; not when it's clearly eating him up inside.

"There's somthing," Nate starts weakly, before taking a deep breath and trying again. "There's something I need to tell you."

Chuck rolls his eyes. "Whatever it is, it isn't going to change my-"

"It's about Blair."

The brunette's eyes narrow, his interest peaked.

"She hasn't been MIA from your bedside because she is too distraught or bedridden or whatever other pitiful thing you think she is suffering through."

Chuck's brow creases in confusion at his best friend's suddenly harsh tone.

"She hasn't come to see you because she's back with Louis."

His mouth drops open in shock.

He can't breathe. He can't think.

It can't be true.

There's no way in hell that could possibly be true.

Blair told him she loved_ him_. She said _he_ was the one he never wanted to leave.

And then when his life is in jeopardy, after he protected her in the accident, she just runs back to Louis?

She couldn't.

Blair wouldn't do that to him.

The door opens and interrupts them before he can even begin form a response to Nate's abrupt confession.

After that, everything is kind of a blur. Doctor's poke and prod at him one final time, he signs so many waivers and forms he can't even keep track of them all, and Lily stands at his side constantly begging him to reconsider.

He can't go back now though. He has to get out of this hospital.

He has to see the truth for himself.

The limo comes to a slow stop across the street from her building and he stays rigid in his awkward position on the leather seat, trying to keep the pressure off his wounds.

He contemplates going upstairs and demanding an explanation. He thinks about calling her and begging her to join him in the limo to run away somewhere with him.

But ultimately he does nothing.

Just sits there, staring longingly towards her building, wishing for what Nate told him not to be true.

But it is. He knows in his heart it is.

Getting back together with Blair, talking about where to raise the baby... It had all obviously been too good to be true.

And after forty-three minutes of silently watching her building, Louis saunters out of the heavy glass doors, confirming all of his worst fears to be true.

Chuck leans his forehead against the cool window, squeezing his eyes shut and sending a few stray tears down his cheeks as he lets the cold, hard reality wash over him.

How could she do this to him?

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><p><em>TBC...<em>

_Feedback is always appreciated... :)_

_Special thanks to: Flounce, SaNaa.91, wrightangal, ad, ChairFan, bfan, Aliennut, Krazy4Spike, Grace, szychoGIRL, Temp02, ALENKA123, RauhlPrincess, & Maribells for reviewing! :)_


	5. Chapter 5

_Summary: Big, messy tears fall down her cheeks and her nose drips sickly onto her lip as she completely breaks down; absolutely, positively loses it in the middle of a stark white hospital hallway. Chuck & Blair after the accident all the way until the wedding. _

__AN: Thank you for the reviews! This chapter is longer to make up for how short the last one was... Someone asked this, but I am going to do my own ending to this story and not follow what I think the show will do with the whole wedding thing because I don't think I'll like what the show will do with this whole thing lol. As always, if you want to let me know what you think, that's great! Or if you want to tell me what you think should happen in this fic, that's great too! :P__

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><p>5<p>

Blair frowns as she twists her spoon around her barely touched breakfast of fat free yogurt. The thick substance is tasteless and gross and she misses the muffins and pancakes she'd allowed herself to indulge in each morning before the accident.

But things are different now and she has no excuse not to restore her figure to it's usual state.

She's already accomplished a large portion of the goal. By looking at her you would hardly be able to tell that she had once been with child unless you had already known.

She sighs and takes one last bite before pushing the bowl away, her appetite completely gone.

Suddenly she catches sight of her blonde best friend entering the dining room and she fixes a smile on her lips, forcing all her bad thoughts out of her mind. She quickly claps her hands together with an excitement that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

Serena eyes her suspiciously. "What's gotten into you today?"

Blair gives her a look like she should already know. "Oh nothing, just excited for my bachelorette party. That's all."

The blonde, who had been reaching for a bagel, stops in her tracks. "Your bachelorette party?"

The brunette narrows her eyes. "Yes. My _bachelorette_ party. The one we planned two months ago for _tonight_. Exactly one week before my wedding."

"Well, I didn't know if you still wanted to do that," Serena defends herself quietly. "I mean with everything going on..."

"I'm fine, Serena," Blair admonishes with a roll of her eyes. "It's been two weeks since the accident. I'm fully recovered other than the annoying little scar on my forehead I'll have to get airbrushed out of my wedding photos before they're published in Vogue."

The blonde shakes her head. "I didn't mean physically," she points out catiously. "I meant more with the whole thing with Louis and Chuck and the ba-"

"I said I'm fine!" Blair barks before her best friend can finish saying that forbidden word.

"Alright, your fine," Serena gives in with an exasperated tone. "I'll call the girls after breakfast and tell them the party is still on."

Blair anxiously watches her best friend as she sits down across from her, giving her a pointed look.

Serena takes a bite of her bagel before caving under her friend's glare. "Or I guess I could call them all now."

"Oh, that's so thoughtful of you," Blair tells her sweetly, a fake smile on her lips. She lets out a breath of relief as she watches her best friend stomp out of the room in search of her phone.

She feels like she needs a night out to clear her head and get back to her real life. She hasn't stepped foot outside of this penthouse since the moment she entered it eleven days ago and she swears she is getting cabin fever. If she has to spend one more sleepless night locked in this place with nothing to do but go over and over things she never wants to think about ever again, she is going to snap.

Her phone vibrates on the table next to her, alerting her that she has a new text message and she snaps it up in her grasp.

_I know we were planning on lunch together today but found out I have another meeting at noon. Sorry. Have fun w/ the girls tonight. Love you._

Her face molds into a manic smile as she stares at the screen.

She chooses to believe his obvious lie just like she chooses not to question why he all of the sudden thinks it's improper to stay overnight with her at the penthouse before the wedding when he never did before.

Or how he flinches almost imperceptibly whenever she touches him.

Or how she feels like she is going to throw up every time she has to speak with the wedding planner or the carterer or anyone else that won't stop gushing about how perfect and amazing this stupid wedding is going to be.

She is simply going to set her phone aside and not bother to reply when she senses Dorota enter the room.

Suddenly she finds herself typing back a quick reply just so that she doesn't have to look up at the maid as she clears away her yogurt bowl.

_Don't get too stressed at your meeting. Love you too._

She hits send and holds her breath until she hears Dorota's feet slowly walk back out of the room.

Her shoulders slump and she lets out a heavy breath.

She really needs to get out of this place.

–––

Chuck sits lazily on the couch, his argyle sock clad feet propped up on the coffee table. Mindlessly he flips through the channels on his big screen TV, bored out of his mind.

It's been a week since he locked himself away inside his penthouse suite. For the first few days he'd simply laid in bed, hiding in the dark and only allowing the nurse Lily had insisted on hiring in to see him.

It was a tempting thought to fall into back into his old habits and hang ups, but one day it suddenly hit him that he's not really like that anymore. He's not the kid who would drown his sorrows in cocaine and prostitutes any longer. Somewhere along his journey of therapy and facing his demons, he'd actually grown up. He'd turned into a man he is proud of and he isn't going to let anyone change that, not even _her_.

After his epiphany, he slowly allowed visitors in to see him because he realized he didn't want to wallow in self pity any longer; he wanted his life to keep going. First Lily and Nate came see him, then soon Erik, followed by Serena, until even Dan is now a regular visitor at The Empire.

But even if he's ready to face the people closest to him that doesn't mean he's ready to face the outside world yet.

The elevator dings to announce it's arrival and he looks over his shoulder to see Monkey walking out of the elevator with Dan trailing behind.

"You now, I didn't think it was possible for a dog to be a gentlemen," Dan says as he walks into the living room. "But I have to say that Monkey was quite the mix of snobbery and good manners on his walk today. I swear he walks with his nose in the air."

Chuck smirks to himself, his eyes filling with happiness as his dogs instantly comes and curls up next to him on the couch. "I've trained him well."

Dan smiles a bit as he looks around the room curiously. "So where is Nate?"

"Working late," he answers dismissively as he pets his dog.

"And Lily?"

"Dinner with your father," Chuck supplies shortly before giving Dan a pointed look. "Contrary to popular belief I don't need a babysitter, Humphrey."

"I know you don't," Dan quickly responds. He stands awkwardly in the foyer, unsure of what to do next, when he notices Chuck start to flip aimlessly through the TV channels. He casually steps forward and sits tentatively on the opposite end of the couch. "You want to watch a movie or something?"

Chuck shrugs, uninterested, and continues to stare at the screen.

"We could finish watching the Matrix?" Dan offers, remembering that they never got the chance to see all of it the day of Blair's wedding shower. "And I noticed you have the next part of it too."

"I have the whole trilogy," he says simply.

"Great," Dan responds with a grin, not hesitating to push himself up from the couch towards the DVD player.

Chuck sighs and tosses the remote aside refusing to act as though he appreciates the company even though he does.

A few hours later they are almost finished with the second movie, empty room service dishes spread out on the coffee table in front of them, when Dan's cell phone rings and interrupts them.

He glances curiously at the ID before walking into the foyer to answer it.

Chuck watches him curiously as the other boy purposefully talks quietly on the phone when suddenly he starts to pace around back and forth. Leaning over, Chuck grabs the remote and pauses the movie and Dan abruptly stops his pacing as silence over takes the apartment.

Dan shoots him a short look before hesitantly continuing his conversation, unable to mask what he is saying in the silent penthouse.

"Well I don't know what you want me to do about it. Just take her home."

Chuck's brow raises in concern.

He sighs in frustration. "I'm not going to drag him into this, Serena. He's still recovering and..."

"Dan," Chuck calls out abruptly.

Reluctantly the other boy gives in and looks at him across the room.

"What is going on?"

Dan sighs, a silent war going on in his head before he decides to go against every instinct he has and tells him the truth. "Serena says Blair is drunk and out of control at some bar and the bouncer is threatening to drag her out of there if she doesn't leave on her own, but she refuses to go."

His eyes go wide at the information and he doesn't think twice before getting to his feet. "Well, let's go."

Dan resolutely shakes his head. "No, we're not going," he tells him forcefully before speaking into the phone. "We're not coming over there, Serena."

Chuck sees red. "Well, why the hell not? She needs help."

"She's at her bachelorette party," Dan snaps, wishing he didn't have to be so harsh.

Chuck sinks back a bit at that, going into a silent trance.

_Her bachelorette party?_

Obviously the wedding is still on.

He notices Dan hanging up and it pulls him from his thoughts before they go to deep. "So what's happening?"

Dan shrugs. "I told her to call Louis."

Chuck huffs and shakes his head. "If Serena thought Louis could help, she would have called him first," he points out wisely. "We're going down there."

"I don't think that's such a good idea..."

He pretends he doesn't hear him. "Do you know what bar they're at?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Then let's get going," Chuck impores him quickly. He doesn't hesitate to go search out his shoes and find his wool coat.

"Don't you think..." Dan begins but trails off when he sees Chuck is completely ready to head out and already making his way towards the elevator. He sighs and realizes his protests are falling on deaf ears.

Giving in, he grabs his own jacket before reluctantly following the other boy into the elevator, hoping that this whole night doesn't turn into the disaster her fears it will.

–––

"Get your hands off me!"

"Blair, please calm down," Serena calls out to her friend, her cheeks red with embarrassment, as she follows behind the bouncer who is carrying her best friend out.

The petite brunette kicks and fights with all that she has. "Put me down! Put me down!"

Suddenly the cool outside air hits her and she feels herself being carelessly set back on the ground. Her legs are wobbly though and she sways, unable to catch her balance before she falls backwards onto the hard concrete.

Immediately Serena rushes to her side to help her up but Blair pushes her away, her eyes wild with fury.

She quickly slips off her Louboutons and drops them thoughtlessly to the side, not even noticing in her drunken state that the delicate skin of her feet are touching the dirty concrete as she jumps to her feet.

"Who do you think you are?" Blair screeches, getting right in the bouncer's face and jabbing him with a manicured finger in his chest. "Who are you to throw me out? Do you know who I am?"

Serena tries to pull her back. "Come on, B..."

"No!," she screams, shaking off her best friend's hand. "You can not treat me like that! I'm going to be a princess! That's right, a fucking princess!"

"Look, lady," the bouncer begins in his low, strong voice, "I don't care who you are but you do not run this club. _I do_. And if you even try to set foot in this club again..."

"Ooooh, what are you going to do?" Blair asks with a slur. She smirks devilishly at the man as she steps to the side of him mischievously. "What are you going to do if I do... This!" Suddenly Blair darts forward, pushing open the swinging door, and setting one bare foot on the floor just inside.

The man's eyes narrow in clear rage as he advances on the tiny girl.

"Is there a problem here?"

All three of them turn to look at the intruder on their fight and for some reason both Blair and the bouncer seem to smirk in relief.

"Thank god you're here officer," the brunette slurs, pointing at the large man looming over her. "Arrest this man!"

The police officer eyes her cautiously. "What exactly is going on?"

"He dragged me out of the club," Blair explains to the cop. "He practically assaulted me."

"That's not what happened at all, sir," the bouncer speaks up, completely polite and respectful of the man before him. "The bartender tried to cut her off and she threw a fit, reaching behind the counter and stealing bottles, picking fights with other patrons. She even threw a drink in another woman's face."

The officer's eyes narrow on her. "Is this true?"

Blair scoffs. "He makes it sound so dramatic," she admonishes with a roll of her eyes.

"Okay, B, I think it's time for us to go home now," Serena interjects, trying to smooth over the situation with a charming smile at the cop. "I'll make sure she gets home right away."

The feisty brunette crosses her arms defiantly. "I'm not going anywhere until I am shown the respect I deserve," she states strongly, motioning to the cheesy tiara the girls had put on top of her head at the beginning of the party. "You see, I'm going to be a princess. The future princess of Monaco..."

"Shut up, Blair," Serena hisses under her breath.

"...and I demand you arrest this man immediately!"

The officer sighs and reaches behind him, pulling a pair of handcuffs out from behind his back.

Blair claps to herself in absolute glee.

"Alright, miss. I'm going to need you to turn around and put your hands behind your back."

Her face immediately falls. "What?" she mutters in absolute disbelief. "No, no... not me. Him!"

Serena's mouth hangs open in shock as she watches the scene unfold before her.

The officer steps forward and grabs her arm.

Blair struggles, trying to pull herself out of his grasp. "Let go of me!"

Footsteps pound against the concrete and quickly approach where they stand gathered by the front door.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Blair's eyes jump up to see Chuck standing there, alive and well, his eyes wide in concern as he huffs and tries to catch his breath from running.

Tears fill her eyes and fall down her cheeks before she even has a chance to think. Big, messy tears that steak her mascara down her rosy skin.

Chuck also feels himself immediately responding to seeing her once again and he has to swallow back his emotions at the sight of her, so thin and pale compared to the way she looked last time he saw her, and in such distress. His eyes are immediately drawn to the way her tight blue dress clings to her now flat stomach and he finds it sickly fascinating that it already doesn't look like she was ever pregnant at all.

"God, took you guys long enough," Serena mutters in frustration.

Blair somehow is able pull her eyes away from Chuck as she abruptly stops fighting against the cop and turns to glare at her best friend, tears still falling from her big brown eyes. "You called him?"

"We needed help!"

"But you still shouldn't have called him," she bellows tearfully. "I have to stay away from him! It's one of the rules!"

Chuck feels like he's been kicked in the stomach at her words, his emotions getting caught in his throat. "Well if you don't want me here then..."

"What rules?" Dan suddenly speaks up in confusion.

A metallic click intterrupts the comotion of their coverstation and they all stare at Blair, realizing that the cop had managed to cuff both her hands behind her back while they were momentarily distracted.

"You have the right to remain silent," the cop begins to read her hear miranda rights, clearly frustrated with the young adults in front of him. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

Blair completely panics and lets out a strangled sob and begins to struggle in earnest once again against the officer's hold on her.

"B," Serena breathes, getting tearful herself, as she tries to get her best friend's attention. "B, it's okay. It'll all be okay. Just calm down."

Chucks heart breaks. "I'll bail you out," he suddenly assures her, surprising even himself with the statement. "I promise to get you out of there as soon as possible."

For some reason at his words, Blair slowly stops struggling, the fight leaving her. Her shoulders continue to shake with the force of her silent sobs and she sends Chuck a watery, longing look before she lets the cop lead her away, stumbling as she tries to keep up with him.

The three of them stand there in absolute shock as they watch her get forced into the back of a cop car and they continue to stare after her until the car disappears out of sight.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Chuck turns away from the scene when he catches sight of Blair's bridesmaids all standing by the entrance to the bar with mouths hanging open and cell phones held up. A rage born out of protectiveness burns in his chest as he saunters slowly up to them, eyeing them like a predator does his prey.

"If I see anything about this anywhere," he warns his voice gravely low. "I will ruin each and every one of you."

The three of them gulp and quickly nod, clearly frightened at his threat.

He turns his back on them and starts to make his way back towards his limo, knowing Dan and Serena are following close behind him without having to look back.

"So what do we do now?" Dan asks, coming to walk by his side.

"First I'm going to call my lawyer," Chuck responds strongly, "and then we are going to go to the Police station."

Serena sniffles softly, looking him over. "Are you sure you shouldn't go home and rest?"

Chuck scoffs and shakes his head as they reach the limo. "I won't be able to sleep knowing she's suffering in jail. We fix this first."

And without another word the three of them slide into the limo, riding off into the night on a mission to save their friend.

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><p><em>TBC...<em>

_Feedback is always appreciated... :)_

_Thanks to 13maggi13, wrighthangal, ManhattanACMxoxo, Krazy4Spike, BlairGirlNo1, Grish, ALENKA123, Aliennut, ad, Temp02, SaNaa91, flipped, 3chuckbass3 & LeftWriter224 for reviewing! :)_


	6. Chapter 6

_Summary: Big, messy tears fall down her cheeks and her nose drips sickly onto her lip as she completely breaks down; absolutely, positively loses it in the middle of a stark white hospital hallway. Chuck & Blair after the accident all the way until the wedding. _

__AN: Thank you tons and tons for the reviews! I want to finish this story before the new episode is on otherwise I don't think I will lol, so I'm sorry for neglecting my other fics. Let me know what you think! :)__

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><p>6<p>

The moment Blair spots her best friend standing in the precinct lobby, she rushes over and wraps the blonde in a huge, tight hug.

"Oh my gosh, Serena! I've never been so happy to see you in my whole life!"

The blonde pats her back, smiling softly as she pulls away. "I brought you a coat and some shoes," she explains, motioning to the items in her arms.

"Thank you, thank you," Blair breathes in relief, quickly taking them from her friend and slipping them on. "It was freezing in there and all they gave me was this old blanket that smelled like eggs which I refused to use."

Serena scrunches up her nose at that.

"And then this old, hairy woman kept offering to warm me up herself and just.. ugh... It was awful."

The blonde laughs a bit as she reaches out and gently pushes back her friend's hair to comfort her.

Blair sighs in relief to herself. She wants nothing more to get out of this building and pretend this whole thing never even happened. They begin to walk and Blair holds on to Serena's arm for support, still feeling a bit wobbly and drunk from the night before. The two girls make their way toward the entrance when suddenly the brunette stops them in their tracks.

"Wait a second," Blair mutters, suddenly trying to wipe at her tired eyes and wishing she had her make up kit so she could at least attempt to cover the bags she knows must be under her eyes. " Do I look okay? How's my hair?"

The blonde eyes her strangely. "A mess," she laughs. "Why does it matter?"

"Well there must be a swarm of paparazzi outside," Blair says like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "I at least want to face this scandal with decent hair."

Serena smiles softly and shakes her head. "There's no paparazzi, B. Chuck threatened to go after anyone who spoke a word about what happened at the bar."

The brunette's mouth falls into a confused frown, unsure of what to think. She had spent the whole night sitting in a jail cell wondering how she was going to explain this whole thing to Louis, and Sophie, and even Eleanor. She'd been a wreck thinking about how she was going to face the press after the mess she made.

But Chuck saved her from all of that, even after she'd pretty much ignored his existence since the accident.

She bites her lip and tries not to think too much about everything as she lets Serena lead her out into the cool, early morning sunlight.

It takes moment for her tired eyes to adjust to the light, but once they do, her gaze somehow finds him. He's standing by his limo where it is parked across the street, talking to Humphrey.

"What is he doing here?" she hisses in panic to her best friend.

Serena rolls her eyes as she begins to wave her hand around to get the boys attention. "He just wants to make sure you're okay."

Blair's eyes widen and tries to grab the blonde's arm to stop her, "No! Don't call him over here."

But it's too late. Chuck's eyes land on her almost immediately.

Her eyes glaze over with emotion at the powerful look he gives her. His hazel eyes are so kind and caring and she can tell his strong jaw is clenched tightly even from across the street. As the boys start to walk towards her and Serena, she takes note of his small limp and how his hair is shaggier as if he hasn't had a haircut in weeks, but it looks cute on him even if it makes her worry if he's been looking after himself properly.

The boys step into the street and she takes a deep breath to prepare herself to face him. It's breaking so many of her rules to be so close to him and talk to him but she supposes it's the polite thing to do to thank him for helping her out.

A helpless smile curls her lips as he gets closer.

He looks so handsome.

Abruptly the quiet New York morning erupts into noise, honking horns and screeching breaks.

Blair's gasps in wide eyed horror as a bright yellow cab comes to a halt just inches before it hits Chuck in the middle of the street.

"Hey!" Chuck barks, his eyes furious as he slams a fist down on the hood of the cab, "Watch your speed, asshole!"

Blair's hand jumps to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.

She knows immediately that it's a sign.

She's breaking too many of her rules and on top of that she was admiring him in a completely inappropriate way for someone with a fiance.

She takes an uneven step backward when he steps on to the sidewalk in front of her.

God is reminding her to stick to her end of the deal or he'll go back on his.

She has to get out of here.

"I-I just wanted to say thank you," Blair stutters, facing him, but not meeting his dark eyes. "But I really need to get home."

Chuck's face falls but he keeps watching her in concern. "Really? I was hoping that we could talk..."

"No," she quickly responds, her voice gaining strength. She forces herself to meet his gaze and she makes herself be brave, because she needs him to listen to her. "There is nothing for us to talk about. I'm marrying Louis."

His dumbly shakes his head and moves closer to her, speaking in a hushed tone so that only she can hear him. "You said you picked _me_," he reminds her, his voice wavering. "Before the accident you told me _I_ was the one you never wanted to leave."

Blair looks away unable to stand looking into his watery, hazel eyes. "Well, it was a mistake," she explains in a harsh tone. "I was just sick of fighting with Louis, but we've made up now, so..."

"So the fairy tale is back on," he finishes for her with a sad smile.

She nods, trying to hold back her tears at the heartbroken look on his face. It is killing her to do this to him. "I'm sorry," she whispers, having to take a step backward to put some distance between them, "I'm really sorry, Chuck."

He watches with a heavy heart as she turns and rushes away from him down the street.

His step-sister springs in to action, running past him to catch up with the petite brunette. "Blair! Wait up!"

His gaze drops to the ground and he sadly shuffles his feet, unsure of what to do with himself now. Part of him had thought helping Blair would change her mind about whatever he had done wrong to make her leave him. Apparently he was wrong.

Quietly, Dan steps up to his side and rests a hand supportively on his shoulder. "Let's get you home, man."

Chuck doesn't respond, still too hurt to even think.

"Come on," Dan urges, nodding with his head toward the waiting limo.

Finally, Chuck reluctantly allows the other boy to lead him away.

"It'll be okay, man," Dan assures him, before smiling softly and trying to lighten the mood, "I mean, we still have one and a half more Matrixes to watch."

He lets out a short, hollow laugh despite himself, shaking his head. "Shut up, Humphrey."

–––

That night all that can be heard in the dinning room of the Waldorf penthouse is the gentle scrap of silverware against fine china and the ocasional clink of expensive stemware.

Blair places a modest bite of her fresh green salad in her mouth and slowly chews it. Once she swallows it she looks up from her plate and politely smiles at her fiance from across the table.

Louis returns her simple smile as he takes a bite of his steak, taking his time to chew the tender meat.

Lifting her wine glass, she takes a long sip of the red liquid.

It's too quiet.

It's too formal.

It's too cold.

All Blair wants to do is scream.

She sets back down her glass and fixes a soft smile on her lips. "Sweetie, did you get a chance to look over the seating chart like I asked?"

Louis swallows his food and shakes his head. "I didn't but I trust your judgement. I'm sure whatever you've decided will be just fine."

Blair's smile tightens and she takes another long drink from her glass.

"My mother called this afternoon," he informs her after taking a few more bites of his meal. "She and Beatrice decided to fly in a day earlier. They thought you might need some extra help in light of all that's happened."

She wants to argue with him. She wants to insist that she has everything under control, that she doesn't need help from anyone.

But instead she keeps her empty smile firmly in place. "Well isn't that thoughtful of them?"

Louis nods and sets down his silverware. "That was delicious. The new chef has really outdone himself," he comments courteously before looking towards her. "Are you sure you don't want any steak, sweetheart?"

She shakes her head smoothly. "I had Vera resize my dress to my old measurements and I have a final fitting in just a few days so..." she trails off and takes another bite of her bland salad.

He simply nods cordially before pushing his chair back from the table. "Well I hope you don't mind if I excuse myself. I have a lot of business that needs attending if I want to be free to relax on our honeymoon."

She blanches at the thought of the two them stuck in St. Bart's for two weeks together.

Luckily for her, Louis doesn't seem to notice. He doesn't notice anything anymore.

He rounds the table to her side and bends down to place a quick kiss on her hair.

Blair freezes at this touch and stays completely still in her seat as she listens to him walk away and disappear into the elevator. As soon as she hears it slide closed, she lets out a heavy breath, her whole body turning into mush as she slumps back against the antique dinning chair. Closing her eyes, she buries her face into her hands and tries to be strong.

"Miss Blair?"

She squeezes her eyes tightly together at the sound of her maid's voice.

She's not supposed to look at Dorota. She can't.

Footsteps move closer to her across the marble floor and her stomach tightens as a warm hand clasps her shoulder.

"Miss Blair, it will be okay..."

Reluctantly, she pulls her hands away from from her face and slowly opens her eyes, giving Dorota more than a passing glance for the first time since the accident. She can see the concern and trepidation in the older woman's eyes, a woman who has been like a surrogate mother to her, but all she can focus on is her stomach. Her growing, healthy stomach with a growing, healthy baby inside.

Blair abruptly shakes off the woman's touch as she jumps up from her chair.

"Miss Blair," Dorota calls out to her tearfully, a knowing look in her eyes.

Blair adverts her gaze from the woman, clenching her jaw tightly. "You are dismissed, Dorota," she whispers, her voice dangerously low.

The maid shakes her head sadly and steps forward. "But..."

Blair snaps. "I said you're dismissed!"

She stands there, barely holding on, as she watches the maid sniffle and cry as she rushes out of the room.

Tears instantly glaze over her wide brown eyes but she refuses to break. Taking a deep breaths, she brings a shaky hand to her forehead, feeling so overwhelmed she feels faint.

She stumbles over to the wall, tiny spots dancing in front of her eyes.

Her mind runs a mile a minute with thoughts of Louis and her wedding, Dorota and her baby... Chuck...

A few stray tears fall from her eyes and her chest tightens with the weight of everything that's happened.

She wants Chuck. She _needs_ Chuck.

Blair wipes her eyes and shakes her head to herself.

She can't go back now. She can't go back on her deal or God will take him away from her all together. At least now he's still out there and he's still alive.

She just needs to keep reminding herself of that.

She hears heels starts to click against the stairs and immediately she springs into action, pushing herself off the wall and sliding back into her chair. She takes slow, deep breaths to try and regain her composure as she listens to the steps move across the foyer.

"Hey B," Serena greets her with a sleepy smile having just woken up from a long nap to make up for the sleep she'd missed the night before. She moves into the dinning room before stopping and looking curiously around the empty table. "Where's Louis? I thought you guys were having dinner tonight."

"We already did."

The blonde's brow furrows. "That was fast."

Blair nods and forces herself to smile easily. "He has a lot of work to get done before the wedding so.."

"Oh," Serena responds, unsure. "That makes sense, I guess."

Blair distractedly nods again and starts to pick at her salad again just to have something to distract herself with.

The blonde studies her best friend cautiously before sitting tenatively next to her at the table. "Blair," she starts hesitantly, before speaking up because she knows she has to. "Is everything okay?"

The brunette shrugs and grins a little hysterically. "Everything is perfect."

Serena sighs. "Are you sure? I mean I know we haven't really talked about what happened with the accident but..."

"We didn't talk about it, S," Blair interrupts with a bit of an edge, "because we don't need to."

"I think maybe we should," Serena argues back gently. "I mean I thought you were doing as well as could be expected, considering everything. But last night... I've never seen you get like that."

The brunette rolls her eyes. "It was my bachelorette party, Serena. Lighten up."

She shakes her head. "No, B. It wasn't just that. You were different. You were completely out of control. And then this morning, after you saw Chuck..."

Blair glares at her best friend. "You're over reacting."

"I'm not. I'm worried about you, B."

Her jaw tightens. "I don't need you to worry about me. I told you I'm fine."

"But you're not!"

The brunette takes a long, calming breath, refusing to get worked up and show her best friend how bad things really are. "I'm fine, Serena," she repeats evenly. She pushes back her chair and slowly comes to a stand, giving her friend a pointed look. "So I'm asking you to please just drop it."

Serena can do nothing but helplessly watch her friend walk away and retreat up stairs to her bedroom, a sick feeling in her stomach.

–––

Chuck slowly pushes himself up from the couch to stand in the living room of his penthouse suite.

Tiredly he shuffles around the room, quiet so as not to disturb Dan where he has fallen asleep in an armchair, and turns off the TV and then the lights.

Overall, the day could have turned out much worse considering the way it had started.

Once they'd gotten back to the Empire, they'd finally made it through the rest of the movies while over stuffing themselves with a massive breakfast. It wasn't long after that when Nathaniel arrived home from class, conveniently holding up an oversized baggie of the best weed he'd ever had the pleasure of smoking. After that, the boys had spent the afternoon playing violent video games and laughing hysterically at things that probably wouldn't have been so funny if they hadn't been so high.

Chuck steps over Nate who had passed out over an hour ago on his $3,000 Persian rug and scowls knowing his friend is probably drooling all over it in his sleep. He's too tired though to bother making Nate get to bed for the sake of the expensive fabric, so he just keeps shuffling towards his room.

He so exhausted he wants nothing more than to crawl into his bed and sleep forever; forget about Blair and Louis and their stupid perfect life together; the life that was supposed to be his.

Shaking his head to try to clear it, he reaches out for the handle to his bedroom door when the elevator dings behind him. He nearly growls in frustration at being distracted from his much, much needed sleep.

"Mr. Bass?"

Sighing, he reluctantly steps into view of the elevator and glares at the sight of the head of his security staff standing in the foyer.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but..."

"Do you even realize what time it is?" Chuck snarls, walking slowly towards his employee.

The man furrows his brow in confusion. "It's only seven."

Chuck quickly checks his watch and is shocked to see the man is right. He could have sworn it was almost midnight. "It's been a long day," he concludes dismissively. "Now is there something you needed me for or..."

"Of course, Mr. Bass," the man begins. "Earlier today the police asked for the surveillance video from the parking garage the night of your accident."

Chuck's eyes narrow, his interest peaked. "What?"

"We of course turned over a copy right away," the man continues to explain, "But I reviewed the original video myself and I think there is something you need to see." He pulls out an unlabeled DVD and motions towards the television. "If you don't mind."

Nodding and motioning for him to go ahead, Chuck watches curiously as the tall man loads the video into the player until suddenly there is black and white images moving across the screen. He steps forward, watching closely at the underground parking lot he recognizes so well.

There is no movement at all for the first minute or so until a tall, lanky man with a buzz cut steps slowly into the frame. He looks cautiously around before stepping towards a town car, the same car he and Blair had ridden in that very night, and kneeling discreetly by the back wheel.

Chuck's eyes widen as he leans forward, staring at the screen and not believing his eyes.

The man on the video pulls something small from his back pocket before practically lying on the ground and looking under the car. He makes a few quick movements with his hands before a smile seems to cross his face and he starts to get back up.

Chuck grits his teeth together, his blood boiling over with rage.

Someone did this on purpose.

It was Blair's car that they got into. Her car that was messed with.

Someone was trying to hurt Blair.

He sees red as he dashes into action, reaching out and snatching the remote up, pausing it just as a clear shot of the man's face crosses the screen.

"I want you to check all the rest of the tapes from that night," Chuck barks to his employee. "See if he talked to anyone, if you can tell how he got there, even what direction he was going when he left. Any clues at all as to who this is and report back to me."

"Yes sir," the security guard nods shortly before heading off to do as he has been told.

Chuck turns away from the screen and immediately starts scowering the living room for his cell phone, shoving things out of his way in frustration.

Dan stirs and stretches in his sleep. "What's going on?"

He ignores him as he finally finds his phone underneath a pillow on the couch. He quickly hits a number on his speed dial and presses the phone to his ear as he taps his foot anxiously on the ground.

"Mike, I need you to do something for me now," Chuck barks into the phone the second the other end picks up. "I need you to find out everything there is to know about the investigation the police are doing into the accident I was in a few weeks ago."

Dan sits up in his chair and looks around in confusion. "Seriously, what happened?"

"And I need you to find someone for me immediately," Chuck continues. "I don't have a name but I'm going to send you a picture. Hold on."

Pulling the phone down he launches the camera app on his phone and holds it out, taking a picture of the TV screen.

Nate jumps awake at the beeping noise of the phone's camera snapping. He blinks and tries to remember where he is and why he's on the floor as he wipes a trail of drool from his chin. He turns toward the bright light of the television and squints to make out the picture.

"Why is Max on TV?"

Chuck immediately stops mid-sentence as he speaks to his PI, staring wide-eyed at his best friend. "You know that guy?"

Nate shrugs listlessly from where he lays on the floor. "Not really. He dated Charlie I guess and went on a date or two with Serena but..."

"Call her now," Chuck demands, picking Nate's phone up from the coffee table and throwing it towards him. "Find out everything you can about him."

The blonde's brow furrows as the phone hits him in the arm.

"Can someone tell me what is going on?" Dan tries to ask again in frustration.

"Yeah, man. Why do you need to know anything about Max?"

Chuck's jaw tightens and his eyes turn dark. "Because I'm going to kill him."

* * *

><p><em>TBC...<em>

_Feedback is always, always appreciated... :)_

_Special thanks to gossipgirllover123, Manhattanacmxoxo, Krazy4Spike, Curious Blonde, Aliennut, RauhlPrincess, Erica514, flipped, 13maggi13, Temp02, meee18, SaNaa91, wrighthangal, nondescript, and LeftWriter224 for reviewing! :)_


	7. Chapter 7

_Summary: Big, messy tears fall down her cheeks and her nose drips sickly onto her lip as she completely breaks down; absolutely, positively loses it in the middle of a stark white hospital hallway. Chuck & Blair after the accident all the way until the wedding. _

__AN: Thank you so much for all of the reviews! I know I said I was going to finish this before the show premiered... oops.. lol I'm sorry that didn't happen, but this story doesn't have that much left to go so it shouldn't be that long... but anyways- I hope you like this! Let me know what you think!__

* * *

><p>7<p>

By the time morning rolls around the picture of that night is all too clear.

The police report with a statement from the driver that he was commissioned to transport his passenger to West Chester airport.

The mechanic's statement that the brakes and gas line were both severed.

The surveillance video of Max and Tripp speaking in secret in front of the hotel early in the evening.

Tripp slipping Max a small bundle of bills when he steps out of the underground garage an hour later.

Chuck watches quietly as his best friend buries his head in his hands.

That car wasn't meant for Blair; that car was meant for Nate.

"I can't believe..." Nate trials off and rubs his hands tiredly across his face. "How could Tripp do something like that to me?"

All Chuck can answer with is a shrug.

"He was trying to _kill_ me."

Chuck leans forward, resting a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "I'm not backing down. I meant what I said last night," he states firmly. "I can't just let this go without any form of retribution."

Nate looks up from his hands and shakes his head a bit. "Just.. Just wait," he mutters dumbly, still in shock at his cousin's actions. "Let me figure this out."

Biting his lip, the brunette contemplates his friend's request before reluctantly giving in with a short nod.

"Thanks," Nate mumbles distractedly, pushing himself up from the couch and walking over to pick up his coat from atop the pool table. "I just need to talk to him.. or... I don't know..."

Chuck watches him as he stalks around the penthouse before heading toward the elevator. "I can't wait very long. I won't."

The two boys look at each other, a silent agreement passing between them, before Nate nods and hits the button for the elevator.

Almost immediately it opens and both boys are surprised to see the leggy blonde standing inside.

"Hey Nate," Serena smiles softly as she steps off, but he barely gives her more than a glance before stepping on to the elevator himself. Her brow furrows in confusion as she watches him go, but she quickly shakes her head to clear it, remembering why she came here in the first place.

Turning back towards the living room, her eyes land on her step brother and a sad smile crosses her lips. "Chuck."

"Sis," he drawls, standing up from where he was sitting on the coffe table.

"Could we talk?" she asks hesitantly as she steps further into the penthouse.

Chuck shrugs tiredly as he shuffles his way over to the bar.

"It's about Blair."

That perks him up, but he refuses to let her see that as he begins to pour himself a drink.

"She actually sent me here to talk to you."

Now he can't hold back his reaction as his eyes widen on the blonde. "Really?"

Serena nods slowly, but she suddenly can't seem to look him in the eye as her gaze falls to the floor.

He watches her suspiciously. "Why?"

She takes a deep breath, wishing she didn't have to be the one to tell him this but knowing she doesn't have a choice. "She wanted me to tell you..." she trails off, before sighing and starting over. "She wanted me to tell you that you are no longer invited to the wedding."

His heart falls. His jaw clenches.

He tips back his glass of scotch and immediately starts to pour himself another.

Serena bites her lip, her eyes glazing over as she watches her brother's heart literally breaking before her eyes. After he downs a second drink she reaches out and stops his trembling hand from pouring another. "I'm really worried about her."

He scoffs and shakes his head to himself. "Why would you be worried about her?" he asks her bitterly. "Despite a minor speed bump a couple weeks ago, she seems to have gotten right back on track with her dream life."

She huffs as he manages to pull his hand from hers and pour himself another drink. "Chuck, I'm serious!"

He stops himself from tipping back the drink and turns curious eyes on the blonde.

"She keeps doing that thing where she asks like everything is perfect. You know, when she acts like her life is this movie and she can just cut out everything that's wrong and doesn't fit with her plan until everything blows up in her face."

"But she's becoming a princess, S," he mutters sarcastically. "Everything _is _perfect."

She quickly shakes her head. "It's not. Not even close. And after what happened at her bachelorette party, I can tell she's barely hanging on but she won't let me help. She won't talk to me about anything," she explains, her worry for her best friend making her tearful. "She won't let anyone say the word baby around her and she barely even speaks to Dorota anymore and I swear it's because she's still pregnant."

Chuck's eyes narrow as he takes in his sister's words, his stomach turning with concern.

"Plus I don't think she really wants to marry Louis," Serena adds softly, hoping she is doing the right thing by telling all of this to her step-brother.

"Then why is she?" he demands, not in anger, but in heartbreak.

She can only shrug. "I don't know."

He shakes his head to himself in desperate confusion. "Before the accident we were talking about spending the rest of our lives together and then all of the sudden it all changed. She won't even talk to me. It's like she blames me for the crash or something..."

"That can't be why," she quickly interrupts. "Blair was a complete mess with how worried she was about you that first night in the hospital. She was never mad at you. We couldn't even get her to stay in her bed because she demanded to see you and make sure you were okay," she explains softly, remembering that horrible night. "And once she saw you, she refused to leave. But then... then your heart stopped..."

Chuck swallows, his eyes glazing over with emotion.

"She just lost it, Chuck. She kept screaming for you, over and over again," Serena continues, "It took me, Nate, and a nurse to drag her out of the room and then they sedated her... She was absolutely heart broken at the thought that you might not survive."

A tear slips helplessly down Chuck's cheek and he quickly wipes it away. He blinks and tries to collect himself, but he can't. He can't imagine what he would have felt like if their positions were changed. He wishes she never had to go through that.

But if she was that upset when he was going to die, why is she ignoring him now? Why doesn't she want to be with him now that he's okay? It doesn't make sense.

"It wasn't long after that when she started ignoring all the bad things happening and began pretending that everything was perfect. I thought it was just her way to get through everything, especially with what happened to the baby, but she hasn't stopped."

Biting his lip, he helplessly shrugs. "I don't know what you want me to do about it. I'm obviously the last person in the world she wants to talk to."

"Which probably means you're the one person that she should talk to."

Chuck sighs and looks down at the bar top toughtfully.

"Just think about it," Serena offers gently as she rests her hand on his shoulder. "Please?"

He silently nods and allows his step sister to pull him into a hug.

"Thank you, Chuck," Serena breathes, feeling like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.

She knows Chuck can fix Blair. He's always been able to.

She pulls back and steps away, smiling gently at him. "I have to get going but I'll see you later?"

He simply nods and watches her go. The second the elevator closes, he slumps against the bar, the weight of everything landing on him.

Slowly, he sips at the glass of scotch in his hand and his mind runs with the same worry and heartbreak he'd felt for Blair since he'd woken up in the hospital.

Once his glass is empty he pushes it aside and steps away from the bar, heading toward his room. He is way too sleep deprived to even begin to decide what to do right now at this point. And he needs his head clear to make a plan.

A plan to snap Blair back into reality.

–––

"You look so beautiful."

"Positively stunning!"

"It truly fits the elegant image the next princess should strive to uphold."

"And you look so fit and trim! It fits you like a glove."

Blair stares at her reflection in the mirror, wrapped up tight in an abundance of silk and taffeta.

She thinks she's going to be sick.

"So do we have a winner?"

Eleanor smiles and nods and looks to the woman at her right for approval.

"I think this will be perfect," Sophia gushes, before looking to her future daughter-in-law. "What do you think, Blair?"

Blair takes her cue to fix a polite smile on her lips, meeting the woman's eyes in the mirror. "I love it."

"Great!" Vera smiles, stepping towards the bride-to-be. "Blair, if you want to go get changed, I'll have the dress delivered to your penthouse later this afternoon."

Blair silently nods and steps down from the small pedestal.

"Well we're just going to go take care of the last meeting with the caterer for you, sweetie," Eleanor informs her with an excited grin. "Serena is still meeting you here to take you to your spa day, correct?"

"She should be here any second," Blair answers, her fingers unconciously pulling at material of her dress.

The longer she has it on the more it seems to feel like she can't breath.

"Good," her mother smiles in approval. "You need a little rest and relaxation, dear, you're looking a little worse for wear. Remember, the pictures from the wedding will be seen all over the world and there are only a few days left to prepare."

Blair smiles tightly. "Of course, mother."

She stands tall through hugs and double kisses from both her mother and future mother-in-law but the moment they are out of sight, all the air leaves her lungs in a rush and her shoulders slump in utter exhaustion and defeat.

Biting her lip, she tries to hold herself together as one of the seamstresses undoes the elaborate buttons and ties on the back of her dress, but her tearful eyes find her form form once again in the mirror and suddenly she's shaking.

She absolutely hates this.

This isn't how her life is supposed to be.

Her life was always supposed to turn out like a fairy tale. She was supposed to marry a man she loved with every bit of her soul and then ride off into the sunset with him and live happily ever after.

She isn't supposed to marry a man simply because she feels like she has no other choice.

A tiny tear escapes her eye and she subconsciously begins to pull at the dress that may as well be her prison uniform since she is going to be wearing it as she is sent off to serve a life sentence for her sins.

"Miss?" the older seamstress speaks up from behind her, eyeing her strangely in the mirror. "Are you alright?"

Blair quickly nods, realizing herself and wiping away the remnants of her one lonely tear. "Yes, yes, I'm fine," she answers, her chest feeling suddenly tight. "I think the bindings are too tight, though, if you could maybe..."

"I assure you, dear, I'm going as fast as I can," the woman tells her with an apologetic smile. "I have to be very careful. I don't want to ruin the beautiful detailing on the bodice before anyone gets a chance to see it. But on the wedding night, you feel free to just rip it off if you'd like."

Blair gulps at her words as she listens to the woman sweetly laugh behind her, feeling as though there is suddenly not enough air in the room. She shakes her head dumbly, grasping at the front of her dress as she gasps for air. "Please..."

The woman wrinkles her brow at her. "It'll just be a minute or two more."

"No, just get it off me," Blair begs, feeling so trapped and suffocated by the expensive gown that she could just die right there. "Please!"

"Miss, I..."

"Get it off of me!" she demands, trembling and yanking at the material. "Get it off!"

At that moment a mop of blonde hair suddenly pokes into the private dressing area, but the smile on the blonde's face quickly melts into a concerned frown.

"B, are you-"

"Help her!" Blair orders her best friend desperately, still tugging at her dress. "Help her get this off me!"

Serena immediately steps forward without question and moves behind her, helping the older woman make quick work of the last few ties on the bodice.

The second Blair is free she quickly pushes down the dress, gasping for air and collapsing into her best friend's arms.

Immediately Serena catches her, wrapping her arms tight around the brunette's slip clad frame. "It's okay, B. It's okay."

Blair can't even respond as she burries her head into the blonde's neck.

The seamstress stands to the side, dumbfounded, and Serena politely smiles at her and silently motions for her to give them some privacy, which she quickly does.

"B," Serena calls gently to her best friend once they are alone. She pulls back and meets the brunettes red-rimmed, brown eyes. "My beautiful B," she whispers, wiping away her tears for her, "tell me what's wrong."

Blair sniffles and bites her lip. For the first time since the accident, she wants to. She wants to tell the truth and come clean and not have to carry this burden by herself, but she knows can't. The truth is too childish and stupid and no one would understand, not even Serena.

So instead she shrugs and decides to tell her best friend a half truth, which she supposes is better than a complete lie.

"It's just that I had to try on so many dresses because the first one won't fit anymore since... since I lost all this weight. It was a bit overwhelming."

The blonde immediately knows that she is referring to losing the baby and instantly feels horrible for her. "I'm sorry, B," she tells her softly, hugging her once again.

Blair bites her lip and simply hugs the other girl back tight.

"Is... Is that all?" Serena asks hesitantly when she pulls back again a moment later.

"Of course," Blair lies, her eyes challenging and at the same time almost wishing for her best friend to question her. "What else could there be?"

Serena sighs and studies the brunette for a long moment, almost asking her about the wedding, before deciding against it. "Nothing," she answers quietly, looking back down at the abandoned dress for some kind of distraction. "Why don't I go get the seamstress back so she can package your dress and we can get to the spa."

She turns to leave, but Blair reaches out and grabs her hand before she can go.

"Did you talk to him?" the brunette asks, feeling tense and panicky all over again.

A sad smile crosses Serena's lips at the thought of her heartbroken stepbrother. "I did."

Blair instantly lets out a huge breath of relief. "Good," she breathes with a small smile. "Thanks, S."

Serena hesitantly nods. "Anything for you, B."

She watches quietly as Blair turns to the mirror and tries to collect herself, before turning around to search out the seamstress once again.

Something is definitely, seriously wrong with Blair. She just hopes Chuck can get through to her before it's too late.

* * *

><p><em>TBC...<em>

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